8 posts categorized "John Goodman"

October 22, 2009

The Pac-10's coordinator of football officials said Notre Dame's fake field goal against USC last weekend should have been flagged and shouldn't have been allowed. Irish coach Charlie Weis, meanwhile, wasn't saying much of anything.

"I will have no comment on it," Weis said Thursday.

The play in question involved receiver Robby Parris hanging out on the field after the third-down snap, but not entering the huddle before the fake. Pac-10 officials coordinator Dave Cutaia told the Los Angeles Times that "a foul should have been called for using substitutions to deceive."

Weis did say that he warned the officials that the Irish would be throwing "the kitchen sink" at the Trojans -- though apparently wary of conference conspiracy theories, he didn't get into detail.

"I'm not going to tell the Pac-10 officials, ever, that we have a special play," Weis said. "I won't tell them the next time either. They're going to have to call it as it happens. And that might not be the only conference-affiliated officiating crew I don’t tell that there's something special we're doing, if you get my drift.

"But what I usually do is I usually say, we've got a bunch of wrinkles in here, so be on guard. Not that we ever have a vanilla game plan, but if I'm not doing anything out of the ordinary, I'll just say we don't have anything out of the ordinary."

Here are more Weis words from pertinent topics Thursday...

On receiver Robby Parris' injury outlook: "He's actually a go. I'm really surprised, too. But he'll be out there right from the first play. Put it like this: He just practiced full-speed today. So unless he has a setback tonight, he'll be out there right from the start."

September 27, 2009

The late, heart-stopping finish Saturday nightand the adjusted schedule on Sunday left Charlie Weis to hold an evening fireside chat of sorts, only with digital cameras. The Notre Dame coach updating the status of his starting quarterback and addressed other items briskly, so here's a likewise to-the-point-summary of Weis' words:

On Jimmy Clausen's turf toe: "His toe is a lot better today than it was last week at this time. Last week it was really swollen. Although we had put him in a boot for a couple days, today he's not in a boot, and the swelling is down. What we're going to do is get through this week's game, and then in the bye week, I'll just hold him for the week and try to give him a week where he can go ahead and just get that much better. But we're in this for the long haul. There's only so much rest you can get at this time of year, and that rest is going to come next week."

On Armando Allen's status: "I think Armando surprised me how close he looked in pregame. I wasn't expecting him to look as good as he was. He was politicking during the game to get in there. But I think that he could have played in this game against Purdue, and I think he'll be ready to go Tuesday. I don't think there will be any limitations."

On putting Golden Tate in the backfield Saturday:"The Golden Tate package was a compensation for Armando. I put that in last Tuesday, also. We put a lot of stuff in this week, and a lot of it was injury related. Armando can't go -- who's going to provide that quickness from the backfield? Who's that going to be? I had two choices, I had Golden or I had Theo (Riddick). They were two my choices. That and the fact that you know that you're going into a game after losing Michael (Floyd) where people could roll into Golden -- what's one way you can compensate for that? Put him in the backfield."

On plans for freshman linebacker Manti Te'o: "One thing we need to do both in practice and in games is just play him more. The only thing, when you have a young linebacker you'll go through some growing pains, but I think that you'll see him just playing more. We talked about that today. I think as the year goes on, you'll see his playing time just increase more and more."

September 08, 2009

When last Notre Dame and Michigan met at Michigan Stadium, neither stood on particularly solid ground. In fact, since both were 0-2 at the time, both programs stood on ground about as stiff as Cool Whip.

The result was something that has become a bit of a war flashback for Notre Dame: A disastrous 38-0 loss, one of five straight to start a cataclysmic 2007, and something that Charlie Weis never, ever plans on speaking about again.

"Nope, we're only going to talk about this year," the Irish coach said at his Tuesday press conference. "We're not worrying about anything from any other time. We're in a very small timeframe mindset right now. We're not going to spend any time talking about last week, let alone the last time we were there."

Probably a good idea, since Notre Dame's season "went from bad to worse in a hurry" on Sept. 15, 2007, in Weis' estimation. At any rate, both the Irish and the Wolverines are substantially different this time around -- though Notre Dame will be without the services of fullback James Aldridge, ruled out by Weis for this week after suffering a shoulder injury in the opener against Nevada.

"They tell me it's a week to two weeks, so he'll be out this week and somewhere between questionable and doubtful next week," Weis said.

There is an interesting Plan B, as Weis said junior running back Robert Hughes will fill Aldridge's role against Michigan. Here are more Weis words on pertinent topics from Tuesday:

On Theo Riddick's kickoff return partner with Aldridge out:"We'll start up with Barry Gallup back there with Theo. But there are a number of guys involved in the mix. I'm not comfortable with putting two freshmen back there. We've worked Shaq (Evans) back there, we've worked (John Goodman) back there, we've worked Robert Hughes back there. There are a number of guys we've worked back there. Having somebody kind of take charge back there is important to me. Most of the time, we'll end up with ball in Theo's hands, by our design."

September 01, 2009

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- So the great, paradigm-shifting depth chart shuffles for Notre Dame on the offensive line and at tailback were not exactly that great after all.

Paul Duncan and Chris Stewart are not in imminent danger of losing their starting left tackle and left guard jobs, respectively, to Matt Romine and Dan Wenger. Everyone is signed up for a timeshare, though, which explains the "or"s separating the names on the two-deep.

"Duncan will start at left tackle, Romine will play in the game," Irish coach Charlie Weis said Tuesday as he previewed Saturday's season opener against Nevada. "Chris Stewart will start at left guard but Wenger will definitely play in the game.

"Usually when you put offensive linemen in they're going to stay in for the whole time but (Romine and Wenger) are two guys that we want to make sure we get involved in the game in the first half. We're not going to wait to the second half to get Romine and Wenger in the game."

One spot that didn't require an "or" was indeed a bit more decisive: Sophomore Jonas Gray is the No. 2 tailback behind Armando Allen, usurping the spot from junior Robert Hughes. Weis reminded everyone that Hughes has to sit out the first half of the Nevada game after fighting during the USC game in 2008, but that isn't the sole reason for Gray's leap.

"Jonas has earned being there," Weis said. "He had a heck of a camp. It makes it a little easier to make that decision when you know you don't have the other guy available for play until the second half comes around."

More Weis words on various topics from Tuesday's press conference:

On plans for freshman Manti Te'o:"Manti will definitely be on the field. We won't start him. But you'll see him rotating in there at Will linebacker with Brian (Smith) or Toryan (Smith). I wouldn't feel real confident with Manti being in there with an inexperienced player. I think at this point right now he won't rotate what he plays. If he's in there with Brian, Brian will pop over to Mike (linebacker); and if he's in there with Toryan, Toryan will just stay where he is."

August 02, 2009

Notre Dame starts training camp in six days, but that hasn't stopped ATB from stepping out onto limbs large and small for position-by-position predictions for 2009. Some might call the fortune-telling reckless. Some might call it idiotic. (Judging by the comment sections, anyway.) ATB calls it indispensable. At least until something happens to prove us wrong.

We started with the quarterbacks. Then we moved to the running backs. Now we arrive at, arguably, the spot with the most talent on the Notre Dame roster: the receivers.

Prognostication #1: Michael Floyd will be a record-setting receiver... but not in career catches, because he won't be around long enough.The horror! ATB suggesting an underclassman might consider leaving school early for the NFL? How irresponsible! How senseless! How can we ban Mel Kiper, Jr., from the premises?!?

The decision is going to be made for Floyd by his production; it's just a matter of how much he enjoys school. He effectively missed three games a year ago (injured vs. Navy, sat out vs. Syracuse and USC) and still caught 48 passes. At 6-foot-3-inches, 215 pounds with solid technique and a knack for the ball, Floyd defines prototype receiver. He probably develops into Jimmy Clausen's go-to target, and that means all eyes on him.

So Floyd is both dependable and explosive. Thus if he doesn't break Jeff Samardzija's mark of 179 career catches -- even Floyd's injury-riddled freshman pace would shatter that record, over four years -- it says here Floyd cracks the season mark (Samardzija's 78), the single-game mark (Maurice Stovall's 14) or the season touchdown record (15 by Samardzija and Rhema McKnight) before he's done. Maybe at least one as soon as this season.

Prognostication #2: Kyle Rudolph doesn't reach his full potential unless Mike Ragone reaches something approaching health. Rudolph is the only sophomore on the watch list for the Mackey Award, given to the nation's top tight end. If healthy and used correctly, the 6-foot-6-inch, 258-pound sophomore should have that hardware on his mantle by the end of his career.

But we can't help but wonder if he'll be too, well, tired. Notre Dame's tight end depth is at baby-pool levels thanks to the much-discussed Will Yeatman and Joseph Fauria departures. The position is enough of a grind that Rudolph needs the occasional visit to the sideline to flourish. Enter Ragone, who very much looked the part of someone recovering from a second major knee injury during spring. If the 6-foot-5-inch junior can be 80-90 percent regularly, that might be just enough to keep Rudolph fresh enough to be a prime weapon.

Prognostication #3: John Goodman becomes a factor sooner than later. We're not sold on Robby Parris' ability to stay healthy. We're not sold on Duval Kamara, period. We're not sold on the readiness of Deion Walker. As for Shaquelle Evans, we generally don't count on freshmen knowing what they're doing. And, really, we have no empirical data to suggest that Goodman is a revelation-in-wait. So it's a gut feel. The 6-foot-3-inch sophomore from Ft. Wayne, Ind., steps up as a complement to Floyd and Golden Tate before you know it. If we're wrong? Wouldn't be the first time.

What are your thoughts on the Irish receivers, and who will catch on quickest?

Don't forget to send your Notre Dame questions to tribirishmailbag@gmail.com, and also follow our Irish coverage on Twitter at twitter.com/BCH_ChiTrib.

April 15, 2009

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Sometimes the negativity rains down, monsoon-style, and drenches everyone around you, family included. And in those cases, any husband or father would discuss with his family the effect that negativity has.

And that, Charlie Weis said Wednesday, is as far as the discussion went. Many interpreted there to be a little bit more to it based on a story by the Tribune's Teddy Greenstein, which had it that Weis considered leaving Notre Dame after another year of disappointment and wear and tear on his family.

When asked about those comments after a press conference Wednesday, Weis offered this by way of clarification:

"Not that anything in the article was wrong," Weis said. "But the interpretation of the intent from my end, and in the story, are just a little bit different. The question was clearly asked to me, did you talk to your family about leaving? And I said, well, yeah. Like anyone who has a situation that is uncertain, as any husband or father would do, you address it with your wife and you address it with your kids and you talk about the what-ifs.

"But did that mean that at any time I thought I wasn't going to be here – when you're around a long time in this business, you learn you have to deal with the negatives. You just have to have a plan in case they end up happening. Did I expect to be here? Yes. Did I expect that I was leaving? No.

"But did I have a conversation with my family about whether or not there was a possibility? Yeah. If you're a husband and a dad, I think you're being negligent in your responsibilities (if you don't have that conversation). That's about as far as it goes. Did I think I was going to quit and walk out the door? That's not what I came here for. Even in that article, it said very clearly, we felt that's not why we came here. We came here to get Notre Dame back to the top of the heap, and that's what we intend on doing."

A few other, less controversial tidbitsfrom Weis' last press conference before Saturday's spring game:

October 21, 2008

In 2005, it was different. Charlie Weis, at least in retrospect, will concede that. Notre Dame dumped Tyrone Willingham, then hired Weis. Washington then hired Willingham.

Then, the following September, the two teams with two new coaches faced each other. That, Weis allowed Tuesday, produced a "dog-and-pony show" with extenuating pressures besides simply winning a football game. From the perspective of the Irish coach, anyway, the soap opera was cancelled after that.

"Once we got past that (2005) game, I think that both he and I were happy to get past that game," weis said. "We've gone our separate ways from there. I think that that was probably the one hurdle that we both had to get through, just so we could get through it. But I've gone my way, he's gone his way, our programs have, as well. I think that was a bigger hurdle to go through than any analogy that's taken place after that."

"Now, I feel like, hey, it's the second half of the season, we need to get off to a good start, we've just had a nice long weekend off," Weis said. "We've got to get off to a good start, and Washington happens to be the team we're playing."

David Grimes, senior captain and fourth-leading receiver for the Irish, is "doubtful" for the Washington game, according to Weis. Grimes' back problems simply have not cleared up, and this was Weis' full explanation Tuesday:

"Sometimes when you have these spasms, they do things to try to get the spasms to go away, and the problem is they haven't gone away," Weis said. "The only thing that really helps at this point is rest. So you're in a catch-22. If he goes out there, he's not full speed. So I told him (Tuesday) I decided I'm going to rest him until they go away.

"Now, the sooner (the spasms) go away, the faster we'll play him. He knows this is not about holding him, and he knows as soon as he's healthy we're going to put him in there. But at this point until they go away, I think that he'd be a lesser player than the guys that are behind him."

Read on for tight end commentaries and Weis' perspective on the job...

October 12, 2008

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- No one controversially shoved anyone into the end zone or anything, though Notre Dame did get nudged out of the spotlight a bit by a 29-24 loss to North Carolina on Saturday. Still, Irish coach Charlie Weis offered an interesting point of comparison for the postgame scenario that unfolded before him.

"When you go into the locker room and see your team as visibly disappointed as I saw them (Saturday), probably as disappointed as I've seen the team since (after) 2005 USC, you know that they care," Weis said Sunday. "And you know that they expected to win and they didn't win, which is the only reason for them to be in the tank the way they were.

"And when your team's starting to act like that and starting to think like that, and starting to feel like that, you've turned a corner in the right direction."

That 2005 game against USC, of course, was the infamous "Bush push" game that the then No. 9 Irish lost to the then-No. 1 Trojans 34-31. When he speaks to his players entering the bye week, Weis said that moment will be front and center.

"My whole mantra or message with them is going to go all the way back to that last time I that pitiful feeling in my stomach, which was 2005 USC," Weis said.

"We came in after that game and said there were one of two ways you can handle this loss: You can use this as an impetus to move forward and as a rallying cry, or you can be in the tank. That's really the only two choices you have. So the challenge will be put to them very clearly."

And not that Weis was complaining about that final call in Saturday's loss -- the one in which replay officials ruled that Irish receiver Michael Floyd fumbled at the 7-yard line instead of being ruled down with a few scant seconds left -- but, well, just listen to the day-after assessment from the Irish coach.

"(The officials) got buzzed (by the replay booth) before we spiked the ball and ruled that the ball was out and they recovered the ball, and that was it," Weis said. "I mean, I sat there and watched the play 50 times this morning myself. In none of those 50 times did I have the answer to the test. I mean, was it out? Was his shoulder down? To this time, I don't know that.

"The only problem I have with that is if I couldn't tell after watching it 50 times and the ruling was that he's down, then, you know, maybe there's a TV copy or something that has a better look at it than what I watched. But I'm not going to sit there and whine about it and take away from their win and our loss. I'm just saying from my perspective, I just find it tough to believe with as little evidence as I was able to see, that there's enough evidence to overrule it."

So, apparently, Weis isn't saying... he's just saying.

Safety David Bruton wasn't out there Saturday in his familiar special teams gunner spot because the Irish staff was worried it would stress an injured leg muscle, Weis said.

"He had tweaked his hammy or his calf earlier in the week," Weis said. "So we had to decide where we were going to protect him. We decided if we were going to protect him, we didn't want him long stride on kickoff coverage and punt coverage."

As the Irish enter the bye week, plenty of second- and third-liners will get heavy doses of action in practice -- not the least of which is freshman quarterback Dayne Crist, for whom this is pretty much the only chance to get significant practice reps.

"The next two days, Dayne will be slinging it all over the place for the next two days," Weis said. "His arm will be sore by Wednesday."

Meanwhile, vets like Bruton, Maurice Crum, Pat Kuntz and David Grimes may get a bit of a respite. "It's not going to be like in the past I've held the whole first squad," Weis said. "But whether guys are banged up or whether we just want to give them rest, we'll hold some guys."

Others to get a decent look this week: freshmen wideouts John Goodman and Deion Walker, who are likely to preserve a year of eligibility this season as the Nos. 7 and 8 receivers in a six-man rotation for the Irish. Still, Weis wants to give them a chance to produce.

"Both those two young receivers, both John and Deion have made significant progress from the beginning of the year to now," Weis said. "This will be a very interesting week for them, because they're going to get a whole bunch of reps with the big boys this week because those guys have earned the right to be into that mix."

About Brian Hamilton

Brian Hamilton was assigned to the Notre Dame beat in July 2007 and is curious to see if fans have any interest in what happens to the football team there.

Since joining the Tribune in September 2005, Brian has covered everything from the Illinois high school cheerleading championships to the WNBA to the Final Four and Super Bowl XLI, nearly all of it without embarrassment. In the summer of 2006, he wrote a profile of a plucky, under-the-radar recruit named Jimmy Clausen, giving the kid an infusion of much-needed publicity.

Prior to arriving at the Tribune, Brian spent six years scraping permafrost off his notebook while working in Minnesota at the St. Paul Pioneer Press and mainly covering college football, basketball and the NBA's Timberwolves. This after attending one of the best schools for journalism in America, Northwestern University, and taking full advantage by majoring in English and creative writing while dropping his one journalism class after two weeks.

Brian grew up on the north side of Westfield, N.J., and now lives in Lakeview. He has many leather-bound books and his apartment smells of rich mahogany. Merlin Olsen comes over on occasion.